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CONFIDENTIAL

us that the sick prisoners may provide such an

opportunity.

There are already firm precedents

both in the Colony and in this country for the

release of prisoners on medical grounds. You cite

a good example from 1969 in your letter.

It is also part of the Review Board's remit under

Rule 69A(1) that the prisoners state of health should

be taken into account in the review procedure.

4. [We doubt

We doubt therefore whether local Hong Kong

opinion would pay very much attention to the release

a limited minutes 56)

of genuinely sick prisoners, especially those

suffering from really serious illnesses such as,

for example, cancer. I notice from Hong Kong telegram

No. 133 of 1969 that the releases then caused no

stir at all. Still less are they likely to excite

interest a further year-and-a-half after the end

But the Chinese would undoubtedly

Ar the same time.

ん

they are

of confrontation.

see this as a significant gesture.

unlikely to make a propaganda jamboree out of any

such releases since this would jeopardise further

moves in this direction. Tur enquiry is, of course,

predicated on the assumption that the prisoners

concerned are genuinely sick and that they were not

guilty of especially heinous offences during 1967.

If we find, for example, that some of them were

convicted of very serious crimes then they would

obviously not qualify, unless there were pressing

medical grounds for their release in any case. I should

tro emphasise t

position whereby the Chinese effectively select sick

have to prisoners for release on our behalf. Each case will/be

that we have no intention of slipping into a

judged on its merits.

-2-

15.

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